Joao Felix becomes the 13th Chelsea signing under Todd Boehly.
The Atletico Madrid forward has joined on loan with the Blues, with Graham Potter hoping for a spark so far missing from recruitments under Clearlake Capital.
If the new signings since the takeover are yet to fully deliver on the club’s investment, it is not for the lack of investment.
The current total spree is at £305 million, which will grow further with an expected loan fee of around £10 million, although most of that figure has been spent on younger talents able to grow in value. But Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella were signed to contribute immediately.
Here we rank the signings so far in what has been a disappointing campaign for the Blues.
N/A. Andrey Santos – €12.5m/£11.1m from Vasco da Gama
Chelsea will hope Santos makes a similar transition from Brazil to London as Oscar did 11 years ago when he joined for £28.3 million from Internacional. The midfielder could gain some minutes in the second half of the season with his goal threat and box-to-box potential likely to prove attractive, given the opportunities already for Carney Chukwuemeka.
N/A. Benoit Badiashile – €38m/£33.7m from Monaco
The new recruit from Ligue 1, he didn’t debut against Man City so his impact will be judged starting from the derby against Fulham onwards. He’s a reasonable addition in terms of fee against experience, but with Koulibaly yet to impress, there’s a real chance for him to break straight into the line-up, improve the team’s solidity and make a case to be a starting centre-back next season.
N/A. Gabriel Slonina – €9m/£8m from Chicago Fire
Immediately loaned back to Chicago Fire in MLS and has continued his development by being their first-choice goalkeeper. The 18-year-old played every game of the 21/22 campaign bar the final two fixtures, with Fire failing to make the playoffs again.
N/A. Cesare Casadei – €15m/£13.3m from Inter Milan
Already impressing with the youth teams, including a scorching long-range hit against Peterborough in the EFL Trophy, the Italian caught the eye during the World Cup interval too with a promising display in a friendly against Aston Villa.
N/A. Davide Datro Fofana – €12m/£10.6m from Molde
An encouraging signing based on the new recruitment team, 20 years of age and with 22 goals last year in Norway. Fofana, who idolised his compatriot and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, is quick on the turn and willing to run into space. If he hits, it’s a bonus and exactly the type of player the new regime should target, knowing he could be sold for a similar fee if it does not work out. A loan next summer should tell us more about his trajectory at the top of the European game.
7. Marc Cucurella – €65.3m/£57.5m from Brighton
An exorbitant outlay but just about the going rate for a top of the market full-back, Chelsea hope beating Manchester City to the Spaniard works out better than when Manchester United edged out Pep Guardiola for Fred. So far the signs are not good though, with the former Brighton star struggling in defence. Labelled by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as the “weak link”, while Jamie Carragher insists he “can’t defend”, he must also show he can be a difference-maker in the final third to balance the threat posed by Reece James when he is fit.
6. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – €12m/£10.6m from Barcelona
Signed for Thomas Tuchel, but played only one game for him before he was sacked. Hasn’t really been a go-to for Potter and has yet to score in the league since his first outing. Link play, penalty box presence and ability to stretch defences can all be routinely described as poor at best so far. Not a transfer which is working out well for any concerned.
